Wallaceburg's oldest business closing at end of May

Wallaceburg's oldest business closing at end of May

David Gough

Published on: May 23, 2019 | Last Updated: May 23, 2019 8:50 AM EDT

Wallaceburg's Ken Murphy tries on a cowboy hat at O'Flynn and Burgess Grocery on McNaughton Avenue. Murphy, like a lot of customers, was looking for deals as the store, which has operated since 1900 and is closing at the end of the month. David Gough/Courier Press

Wallaceburg’s oldest business will be shutting its doors at the end of the month.

O’Flynn and Burgess, a variety store/horse tack store on McNaughton Avenue, has been open in a variety of locations since August 1900.

Fourth-generation owner Kelly O’Flynn said there are a couple of reasons for her retirement and the store’s closure.

“As far as I’m concerned the government closed us,” O’Flynn said, noting the high price for cigarettes, which are much cheaper at nearby First Nation communities.

“You can’t compete with the (Walpole) Island,” she said.

A lot of items in the store are discounted prior to the closing date of May 31.

Another factor in the store’s closing is the construction at the nearby Lord Selkirk Bridge. The store is seeing a lot less traffic than usua. The bridge has been closed for a few months and is expected to be closed until October.

O’Flynn’s great-grandfather, Andrew O’Flynn, an Irish immigrant from Limerick, started the store in 1900. When it opened it was a china shop and grocery store. Andrew O’Flynn and his staff used to deliver goods to customers by horse and buggy.

The store celebrated St. Patrick’s Day in grand style for many years to mark the owners’ Irish heritage. Lucky customers received a one-dollar bill as a thank you for supporting the store.

Although the store will be closing, a replica of the old grocery store has been on display at the Wallaceburg and District Museum for the past 20 years. The display was originally set up to not only give people a glimpse of how the store looked like in the past, but the exhibit also marked O’Flynn and Burgess Grocery’s centennial.